Vang Pao Elementary, Fresno CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Vang Pao Elementary

Vang Pao Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Fresno, a Central Valley city of sprawling neighborhoods where single-family subdivisions and car-dependent layouts dominate. The school enrolled about a few hundred students, drawing a student body that is majority Hispanic, with substantial Asian representation. The student population reflects high economic need: a large majority of students qualified for free or reduced-price meals. Specific enrollment numbers by grade and demographic detail appear in the data sections below.

State testing data from spring 2025 shows areas where students need strengthening. In mathematics, proficiency rates ranged from the mid-thirties through mid-forties across grades three through six, with fifth grade showing the lowest performance. English language arts results were somewhat stronger, clustering in the high thirties to mid-forties, with fifth and fourth grades leading. Science testing in fifth grade showed notably lower proficiency. Overall, the school's average proficiency index across tested subjects and grades placed it in the top quartile among the county's tested schools, meaning its average performance is stronger than most district schools in Fresno County, though individual proficiency percentages themselves reflect substantial room for growth.

Because the school serves only elementary grades, no high school completion data exists. The school does not report rates for chronic absenteeism or for the share of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners, so those details are unavailable to potential families.

Vang Pao's location in Fresno's central area sits within a city undergoing mixed change. Downtown Fresno and neighborhoods near the school have walkable pockets around cultural districts and tree-lined corridors. However, much of the city spreads outward in low-density sprawl, and families will almost certainly rely on cars for most daily needs. Housing in the area is listed at values well below state average, and monthly rent is roughly one-third of the national benchmark. Many residents work in government, healthcare, manufacturing tied to agriculture, and services. The school is part of Fresno Unified, and little has been publicly reported about recent district-level changes that would shape this school's operations, so that context was unavailable.

For families considering this school, the main questions to explore with the school itself would be remediation or support pathways for students not yet proficient in math, how the school works with students learning English, and what the school's specific curriculum and teaching approaches look like in math and science, where proficiency results show greater challenge.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 37% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 34% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 26% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 29% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 35% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 35% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 36% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 38% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Science

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 19% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolFresno Unified, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income46%Higher-income50%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income31%Higher-income58%27 pp gap